Exploring new business was at the heart of PetroForum Europe

Sunny Sitges (Spain) hosted the first ever PetroForum Europe this week – a two-day event designed to boost business opportunities between international fuel retailers and suppliers.

This week saw OpenRoom Events add Europe to its portfolio of PetroForums – a series of events for the fuel retail sector which have been running across APAC, Africa and MENA for the past 16 years. PetroForums are targeted 2-day networking events that deliver a program of meetings and informal networking with decision-makers from fuel retailers and suppliers.

OpenRoom’s business speed-dating format did not disappoint, with the event bringing together leading retailers across Europe to meet with a diverse mix of global suppliers representing 39 organisations from as far afield as Australia.

The event opened with a keynote from the continent’s rising star, EG Group. Ilyas Munshi gave a fascinating insight into the company’s journey from one site to 5,500 across four continents and the thinking behind their retail partnership strategy. Accenture Consulting followed up with the results of their AI survey in collaboration with PetrolPlaza, and a final session from TanQyou, award-winning Dutch retailer, set the scene for the one-to-ones that then followed.

“OpenRoom can now add Europe to their impressive track record; we saw a high-quality audience with exciting new business prospects,” comments Kurt Dillen, Dover Fueling Solutions, a Platinium Partner of the event.

Over the two days, PetroForum Europe fired up engagement on many different levels. Alongside the conference and one-to-ones was the retailer-only discussion, moderated by Gilbert van Rens of MAES Energy and Mobility, and a panel session chaired by PetrolPlaza examining the impact of the IoT in the petrol station industry.

The panellists, belonging to Bever Innovations, Leighton O’Brien and Scheidt & Bachmann, discussed the benefits and risks that come with handling vast amounts of data. Reid Leighton, co-founder of Leighton O’Brien, pointed out that with hundreds of thousands of service stations across the globe still not fully adapted to IoT, many business opportunities lay ahead for industry suppliers.

“It’s the perfect mix of work and play that fosters long lasting business relationships. To meet with so many key industry decision makers in such a short space of time is both fun and efficient,” explains Mike Smith, Touchstar Technologies.

Feedback from retailers on the new event was also positive. “PetroForum Europe has been the perfect example of how people make the difference when talking about business. It’s a great opportunity to expand your network in the sector and connect with suppliers in very efficient introductory meetings,” says Blanca Vasquez, BP.

The OpenRoom team now look forward to their PetroForum MENA event in Dubai on 23rd and 24th September 2019.